Laser Paladin
Introduction The Laser Paladin is General "Pinpoint" Townes' tier 2 heavy tank unit and the backbone of his armored division. Overview The Laser Paladin is a medium laser tank that was built from an M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank. It is armed with twin laser cannons that are "fused" together to quickly blow up enemy tanks even faster than the Laser Crusader. Like most Townes' tanks, the tank also comes with digital targeting cameras to increase the firing precision. What's even better is that this tank is also equipped with point defense lasers that can intercept rockets and artillery shells hurling at it (originally it can kill infantry at close range but Townes had to tune the PDL's lethality after being busted by the Geneva Court). The tank is also radio-controlled with a pilot acting as a engineer to keep an eye on it. The M1 Abrams main battle tank has been the pride of the American Armored Divisions for years. But with the emergence of Chinese super heavy tanks and GLA's 4th generation warfare, it's quite evident that they're in need of upgrades to stay relevant in modern warfare. General Townes thus opted to use Abrams Tanks as experimental platforms for his laser weaponry, thus, the Laser Paladin is born, armed with dual rapid firing laser cannons, while the Laser Paladin's primary weapons packs less punch per shot than the Laser Crusader, its high rate of fire more than makes up for that. Like most other laser based weapons, it can punch through enemy armor with deadly accuracy. Being based off an Abrams tank, the Laser Paladin is well armored, and its defence can be further enhanced by Composite Armor upgrades which are available at tier 3 along with the Laser Paladin itself. Against infantries, the Laser Paladin's main weapon is slightly more effective than a regular tank cannon, but is still far less effective than specialized anti-infantry weapons. However, against AT infantries, the Laser Paladin features a point-defence laser module (PDL) to intercept enemy rockets and missiles and thus making it far less vulnerable to infantries compared to other heavy tanks. A major weakness in the Laser Paladin's design is, like most other units in General Townes' arsenal, it requires power to operate. The Laser Paladin consumes two points of power at stock but this amount can be halfed via upgrades. If the Laser General's base becomes low on power, either due to loosing too many power plants or due to infiltration, his entire fleet of Laser Paladins will become offline. Thus, keeping a stable power output and tight security is absolutely PARAMOUNT. Despite their overall balanced performance and versatile nature, the Laser Paladin functions best when supplemented by other units, Avengers for anti-air, Microwave Tanks for anti-infantry and Libras for long range fire support. Upgrades Composite Armor * Increase the durability of the Laser Paladin by 25%, available at the War Factory at Rank 3. Carbon Lasers * Increase the damage output of the Laser Paladin's main cannon, available at the Strategy Center at Rank 3. Solar Panels * Decrease the power consumption of the Laser Paladin, available at the Tokamak at Rank 3. Advanced Training * The Laser Paladin will gain veterancy twice as quickly, available at the Strategy Center at Rank 3. Dornes Rank 1: * Battlefield Mechanic: Repairs the Laser Paladin on the field. * Scout Drone: Detects stealth units, does not detects mines and traps. Rank 3: * Jet Sniper Drone: Anti-infantry drone, armed with dual sniper rifles. * Stinger Drone: Anti-air drone, armed with two stinger missile launchers. * Squid Drone: Anti-armor drone, armed with a laser cannon. * Zodiac Drone: Anti-missile drone, armed with a point-defence laser module. Assessment Pros: * Powerful weapons, effective against vehicles and structures. * Weapons are highly accurate. * Can crush infantry and fire on the move. * Can intercept rockets and missiles with PDL module. * Decent durability, can be further increased with Composite Armor upgrade. * Can be upgraded with drones to increase combat effectiveness. Cons: * Mid-late game unit, requires Rank 3 + Strategy Center to unlock. * Consumes power (2pts), will become deactivated if the base is low on power. * Vulnerable to hijacking and depleting, however, GLA Generals will not be able to turn the Laser Paladin against its creators unless they capture enemy power plants. * Ineffective against infantry, especially against anti-armor infantries, without the Jet Sniper Drone. * Helpless against aircraft without the Stinger Drone upgrade. Quotes The Laser Paladin reuses their cut voice lines from vanilla Zero Hour. When Created * Preserving freedom! When Selected * Lasers will keep it clean. * Keep those reactors safe back there. * Setting our goals high. * Paladin tank in the field. * Is there a threat? * Polished and ready. * Keep it clean. * Doing what's right! * Laser Paladin. When Ordered to Move * Closing the distance. * Confirmed. * Yes sir. * Taking her in. * We're moving. When Ordered to Attack * Enemies of the free world. * You can depend on it! * We fight for peace! * It will be an honor. * It's the right thing to do. * Protecting our people. * Protecting the modern world. * Punch them through! * Bringing home the bacon. Trivia * Strangely, the Laser Paladin's barrels show recoil when firing, despite the fact that there's no kinetic force in use when firing lasers. * Prior to Patch 2 of Contra 009 FINAL, the Laser Paladin's main cannons behave like the Laser Crusader's cannons. * Unlike the majority of laser units, the Laser Paladin's projectile doesn't change color after gaining veterancy and simply remained blue. Gallery LaserPaladin00.jpg|Render of the Laser Paladin, note the PDL module is absent. LaserPaladin02.jpg|The Laser Paladin firing its main cannon. Category:USA Arsenals Category:USA Vehicles Category:Heavy Tanks